Frontier Falcons’ bowlers educated while taking fifth at states

In addition to the experience of bowling at the state championships, if Frontier head coach John Cordier took anything away from the competition it was just how good the field is at that level.

The Falcons actually exceeded what it took to win the Section VI championship last month, but their 6,110 pin total was good for fifth at the state competition on Saturday (March 2) in Syracuse. South Colonie won a second straight state title, knocking down 6,511 pins. Frontier moved up from eighth after the morning session, but Cordier said his team would have needed all five players bowling above their average to even compete.

“The atmosphere and level of play had our guys’ eyes wide open,” said Frontier’s first-year head coach. “To be here and compete the way we did was a good building block.”

Junior Chad Mee, a three-time state qualifier individually making his first trip here with his team, finished with the Frontier high series of 1,399. His 279 in the fifth game helped lift the Falcons to an improved showing in the three-game afternoon session.

Also bowling above their averages were senior Jacob John-Sargent, who Cordier credited for stepping up his game, and junior Matty Kinn, who’s been a consistent bowler right behind Mee all season long. Kinn also won the Sportsmanship Award for Frontier.

Cordier believes the experience is evidence of what each bowler needs to get done in the offseason so that Frontier, minus only two seniors, can return in 2014 and perform even better.

“One of the biggest benefits is that the guys can see what’s out there and see how hard they have to work to get to this level if that is what they want,” Cordier said. “You have to bowl very competitively year-round, and in tournaments, where the level is at its highest.”

In the individual competition pitting each sectional team against one another, Section VI took second with 6,626, just behind Section XI’s 6,804. Eden senior Andrew Herbert finished second on the Section VI team, knocking down 1,317 pins. He won the Section VI title to qualify for the competition for a second straight season.